Last or follower.



A. H. BRIGHAM.

LAST OR FOLLOWER.

d June 24, 1898.)

(Application file (No Modal Patented Dec. 26, I899.

FFICG ALBERT H. BRIGHAM, OF IVHITMAN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WVALTER E. TRUFANT, OF SAME PLACE.

LAST OR FOLLOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 639,886, dated December 26, 1899. Application filed June 24, 1898. Serial No. 684,429. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. BRIGHAM, of Whitman, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts or Followers, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to that class of lasts known as followers, and has for its object to provide a simple and cheap follower which shall have no detachable or loose parts and is easily inserted and removed and keeps the boot or shoe in perfect shape while in use; and to this end my invention consists in a follower transversely divided in such manner as to be articulately connected, allowin g the fore-part section to swing on the heelsection. In some cases the process of manufacturing the shoe occupies several weeks, and it should be kept in shape during the whole period; but owing to the great expense of so many lasts as would be required to do this it is usually dispensed with and a follower used to take the place of the last on which the shoe is first formed. The followers in common use are either lasts which are too expensive to be used generally or are made from sheets of light material molded into shape and possess little strength and are easily distorted, so do not accomplish the object sought. My follower is made on the same lines as the last on which the shoe is formed, and may be made of lighter wood, which makes them more convenient to handle. The lighter wood is also cheaper than the very strong wood required for the lasts, and is also more easily Worked, which adds further to the saving in cost.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a follower embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a top View of the same, and Fig. 3 an enlarged section of my articulation with slight modifications.

In all the figures like characters refer to like parts.

a is the toe-section, and b the heel-section, of a last divided by the lines h h 71 The division may be made with a narrow saw or the parts may be fitted separately. 0 is a transverse cylindrical projection on the face of section b, and is inclosed for more than one-half of its circumference by the toe-section a, which allows the sections to swing on one another to shorten the follower when it is to be withdrawn from or inserted in a shoe. To compensate for the shrinking and swelling of the wood, I make the cylindrical projection c somewhat smaller than the recess in 03, and to fill the space so made I provide a flexible cushion d, which may be made of corrugated metal or other elastic material. To prevent the transverse displacement of the sections, I insert a pin f in the toe-section, which passes through a groove g in the circumference of c.

I prefer to have the projection c on the heel-section; but it is obvious that the posi tion of all the parts may be reversed without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A last or follower transversely divided into two sections, one section havingatransverse cylindrical projection, and the other section containing a cylindrical recess of a somewhat-larger diameter than the said cylindrical projection, the difierence in diameter of said parts leaving a space, and a filler for said space, all cooperating together to articulately join the sections, substantially as described.

2. A last or follower transversely divided into two sections, one section having a transverse cylindrical projection, and the other section containing a cylindrical recess of a somewhat-larger diameter than said cylindrical projection, the difference in diameter of said parts leaving a space; an elastic filler for said space, all cooperating together to articulately join the sections, substantially as described.

3. A last or follower transversely divided into two sections one section having a transverse cylindrical projection and the other section containing a cylindrical recess of a.

somewhat-larger diameter than the said cylindrical projection, the difference in diameter leavinga space, a corrugated strip in said space all cooperating together to articulately join the sections, substantially as described. In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses to this specification, on this 8th day of June, A. D. 1898.

ALBERT I-I. BRIGHAM. Witnesses:

W. E. TRUFANT, Orrs W. SoULE. 

